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Kennedy News

Arthur W. Willett, a native of Long Island, N.Y., and former resident of Winter Park, Fla., was recently honored with NASA's prestigious Silver Snoopy Award for service to the Space Shuttle astronauts.

Astronaut John Herrington presented the award to Willett in March at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Willett joined NASA in 1982 and serves as Lead, Launch Pad Quality Assurance Section. He is responsible for organizing and managing the NASA quality assurance function for launch/recovery operations and astronaut closeout ingress activities.

Willett was honored for his role in guaranteeing that all Launch Pad personnel have the proper training and necessary certifications to effectively carry out their assignments.

"You have been instrumental in ensuring that all close out personnel, including astronauts, have all the required training and certifications to perform the critical tasks associated with crew ingress operations and final orbiter preparations," said Herrington. "Your knowledge of procedures is unmatched and the exceptional manner in which you have carried out your responsibilities exceeds normal requirements and demonstrates pride in your work."

Willett graduated from Edgewater High School, Orlando, Fla., in 1963. After high school, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Navy Reserves for 21 years.

Willett, and his wife Carol, currently reside in Mims, Fla. They have one son, Curt Arthur Willett, a quality control inspector with United Space Alliance at KSC.

Snoopy of the comic strip "Peanuts" has been the unofficial mascot of NASA's astronaut corps since the earliest days of human space flight. The Silver Snoopy Award was created by the astronauts to honor individuals who contribute most to the safety and success of human space flight.

The award is presented to no more than 1 percent of the space center's work force each year. Recipients are given a silver pin depicting the famous beagle wearing a space suit. All the pins have flown on a previous Space Shuttle mission. The awardees also receive a framed certificate and a congratulatory letter signed by the presenting astronaut.